Customer Service
How we support you — from your first question to your last day in China. These are our commitments, in plain language.
Our Commitments at a Glance
Response Guarantee
Every enquiry answered within 24 hours. Most replies within a few hours.
One Dedicated Contact
One person handles your trip from first email to final day — no handoffs to a call centre.
Shopping Stops
Written into your contract. Zero shopping detours, no exceptions.
Complaint Resolution
All complaints investigated and responded to within 3 working days.
Being a new company is an advantage for you. You're not routed through a ticketing system or handled by a junior agent. The people who built Hello China Guide are the people who plan your trip and answer your messages. That's not a promise we'll outgrow — it's how we intend to operate.
Response Times & Operating Hours
We are based in China and operate across multiple time zones to serve travellers from Europe, North America, and Australia.
| Channel | Hours | Response Target |
|---|---|---|
| Email (enquiries) | Mon–Sun, 09:00–21:00 CST | Within 24 hours |
| Email (active bookings) | Mon–Sun, 09:00–21:00 CST | Within 4 hours |
| WhatsApp (pre-departure) | Mon–Sun, 09:00–21:00 CST | Within 2 hours |
| WhatsApp (on-trip emergencies) | 24 / 7 | Within 1 hour |
China Standard Time (CST) is UTC+8. If you're in London, that's 8 hours ahead. New York is 13 hours behind. We try to reply within your waking hours where possible.
Your Service Journey
Here's exactly what you can expect at each stage of working with us.
First Enquiry
Send us your rough idea — a few cities, a date range, a style of travel. You don't need to have it all figured out. We reply within 24 hours with questions, or in some cases a first draft outline straight away.
Itinerary Planning
We work with you by email — as many rounds as needed — to shape the itinerary. No pressure to decide quickly. We'll tell you honestly if something doesn't make sense logistically, suggest alternatives, and flag anything worth knowing before you commit.
Booking Confirmation
Once you're happy, we send a detailed booking summary covering every element of your trip — accommodation, transport, guides, entrance fees — along with our no-shopping contract. No surprises after payment.
Pre-Departure Check
One week before your trip starts, we reconfirm all reservations and send you a detailed trip dossier: guide contacts, hotel addresses, train ticket codes, emergency numbers, and practical tips for each city.
During Your Trip
Your WhatsApp line to us stays open throughout. If a guide is late, a hotel has an issue, or you simply want to change tomorrow's plan — message us. We are reachable during all waking hours and will resolve issues in real time, not after the fact.
After Your Trip
We send a short follow-up email to ask how it went — honestly, not as a formality. Your feedback directly shapes how we plan the next person's trip. If anything fell short of what was agreed, we want to know and we want to make it right.
We Listen First
Some travellers arrive with a detailed itinerary already mapped out. Others just know they want to see something extraordinary in China but aren't sure where to start. Both are fine.
We will not push you toward a pre-packaged tour if it doesn't suit you. We will not oversell destinations or experiences that don't match your interests. If a 4-day trip is more practical than a 10-day trip given your constraints, we'll tell that — and we'll make those 4 days count.
The goal is that when you board the plane home, you feel the trip matched what was promised — ideally exceeded it.
How We Handle Complaints
Things go wrong in travel. Weather, illness, delayed trains, misunderstandings with local staff. What matters is how quickly and fairly they're resolved.
Tell us immediately
Don't wait until after the trip to raise a problem. Message us the moment something goes wrong. We can often fix things in real time — a guide replaced, a hotel room changed, a refund processed on the spot.
We acknowledge within 4 hours
Every complaint receives a written acknowledgement within 4 working hours confirming we've received it and who is handling it.
Investigation and resolution within 3 working days
For issues involving third parties (local guides, hotels, transport operators), we investigate and provide a resolution within 3 working days. If we need more time, we'll tell you why and give a revised timeline.
If we got it wrong, we make it right
If a complaint is caused by our error — a wrong booking, a missed confirmation, a broken promise — we take full responsibility. Remedies may include partial or full refunds, complimentary services on a future trip, or other compensation depending on what's fair.
We keep a record of every complaint and how it was resolved. Not to cover ourselves, but to actually get better. A complaint we can't learn from is a waste of everyone's time.
Get in Touch
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